War on Terrorism

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Oct. 30, 2013 – The 455th Air
Expeditionary Wing finance management office provides financial customer
service and plays an important role in the wing’s mission by executing
the budget to fund all mission requirements.

It’s also the setting for a husband deploying to succeed his wife, who is preparing to return to their home station.
Rather than having a reunion at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Air Force
Staff Sgts. Ariel Hunsuckle and Margaret Prokop, are working together
for a short handoff of wing budget technician duties before separating
again.

The couple acknowledged that no one wants to be away from
their spouse for a year, but they said it comes with being in the
military and that they’re making the best of it.
“It's an
incredible experience to be able to see my wife after the long months
she's been here, and I feel I am lucky enough to be with her, as others
aren't as fortunate,” said Hunsuckle, an eight-year Air Force veteran
from Yigo, Guam.

Although they work in the same unit at Nellis, they have different offices, and their jobs are quite different.

“Professionally, it's great to be able to train Ariel on the things
I've been doing for the last several months,” said Prokop, a five year
Air Force veteran from Bolton, Conn. “He's already made improvements to
the program, and all I can say is, ‘Wow! Why didn't I think of that?’”
she said. “Even though the allotted turnover for the position was only a
few days, we’re lucky with how everything worked out, especially since
our flights aligned to give us a few extra days together.”

Hunsuckle said he has some great boots to fill, but he didn't expect anything less.

“The turnover was definitely a learning experience, and working with
her professionally was easier than I imagined,” he said. “And the best
thing about our working relationship is I can literally call home for
help.”

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2013 – In a Pentagon meeting with Latvian
Defense Minister Artis Pabriks today, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel
commended Latvia for its steadfast participation in International
Security Assistance Force operations in Afghanistan and for the energy
and perspective that Latvia and its Baltic counterparts have brought to
NATO, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

In a statement summarizing the meeting, Little said Hagel and
Pabriks reiterated their countries' commitment to supporting security
and stability in Afghanistan beyond 2014.

"Secretary Hagel also
reinforced the United States' commitment to standing together with
United States and NATO allies and partners,” he added. “The leaders
affirmed their intent to work together to support regional cooperation,
interoperability and long-term defense modernization and acknowledged
the important relationship between Latvia and the Michigan National
Guard, Latvia's partner in the National Guard's State Partnership
Program."

Thursday, October 24, 2013

10/24/2013 - KABUL, Afghanistan -- Just
one day after receiving two C-130H aircraft, the Afghan Air Force,
alongside NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan advisors, conducted the
first mission in the new planes Oct. 10.

The first operational mission was flown by both AAF and coalition pilots
between Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan and Kandahar Airfield,
Afghanistan.

"The fact that we already have the C-130s flying and we already have it
airborne is a big step," said Maj. Chris Garcia, 538th Air Expeditionary
Advisory Squadron and C-130 advisor from Little Rock Air Force Base,
Ark. "It's going to take the weight off both the Cessna 208 and Mi-17
and really open up their mission."

The first mission consisted of several pallets of Mi-17 main landing
gear parts, maintenance parts as well as office supplies for the
Kandahar Air Wing. The load weighed more than 10,500 pounds according to
Staff Sgt. Daniel Garber, 538 AEAS C-130 loadmaster and advisor from
Pope Field, N.C.

"Everything has gone super smooth," said Garber upon arrival at KAF
during the mission. "A little slower than normal but obviously right now
we don't want to rush, we want to train. The slower the better as
safety is key right now."

The C-130 will be a vital part of the AAF and its mission, according to
Garcia. Prior to the arrival of the C-130 the main transportation
aircraft were the fixed-wing C-208 and the Mi-17 helicopter. The C-130
can carry 10 times the amount of weight as the C-208 and 70 passengers
versus eight in half the time.

"Our main goal is to support the other forces in Afghanistan," said AAF
Col. Almal Pacha, one of two AAF C-130 pilots. "Today's mission went
very well. That's a very good sign for Afghanistan and building the
Afghan Air Force."

Pacha stated the C-130 will be the main airlift platform for the AAF and
that the primary missions will include cargo and passenger movement,
especially for the Afghan National Army, as well as emergency support.

The flight was not only the first operational mission for the new
C-130s, but also the first upgrade training for Pacha and 1st Lt. Khial
Shinwari, the first two AAF C-130 pilots. The training focused on the
basics of transporting passengers and cargo from one point to another as
well as instrument flying, stated Garcia.

"Both Pacha and Shinwari flew really well today," said Garcia about the
flight. "I think they'll upgrade pretty quickly and progress really
well. This flight was a great lead-in to their program."

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2013 – The attack on the Marine
barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 23, 1983 became a harbinger of what is
known today as the war on terror, said Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F.
Amos, during a ceremony yesterday in Jacksonville, N.C., to mark the 30th
anniversary of the attacks.

The terrorist truck bomb took the lives of 241 service
members.

“The world we lived in and the future we knew of a secure
environment changed forever that morning of Oct. 23,” Amos said. “The nation
was not expecting this. It was a new kind of warfare. The threat of radical
extremists being able to target military and civilian personnel with weapons of
mass destruction for political, religious and personal gains was a new way to
attack the West. It was a cowardly act on freedom.”

The early 1980s was a tumultuous time of conflicting powers,
Amos told the audience of Marines, as well as families and friends of those
killed in the attack. “[That era] indeed became the harbinger of more
challenging times yet to come,” the general said. “Tensions were high across
the world, the Cold War raged on, and radicalism surfaced as a new threat to
stability in the Middle East.”

And, “when conflict ripped at the peaceful coexistence of
Lebanon, the United States, France, Italy and Great Britain answered the call
to assist,” Amos said of the multinational peace-keeping force that went into
Beirut.

Amos described how Marines attempted to serve as peace
keepers at a time when the country was deeply immersed in a civil war.

“They stood watch and patrolled chaotic streets to provide a
blanket of safety and security and comfort for the citizens of Lebanon. They
stood for freedom,” he said, adding that the Marines knew their protection of
the citizens came with a risk.

“On Oct. 23, 1983, terror struck. At 6:22 a.m., extremists
drove an explosives-laden truck into the Marine barracks the likes of which had
never been witnessed before. The massive explosion shook the ground of the
entire Beirut International Airport along with the souls of all the Marines
throughout the world,” Amos said.

“Two-hundred and forty-one Marines and American soldiers and
sailors [who] volunteered to make a difference” died in the attack, he added.

“They volunteered to serve their country … to put the lives
and freedoms of others before their own … 241 of our finest, Amos said. “We
honor each of them today.”

Beginning with the attacks in Beirut, extremists have
attempted to destroy what makes the United States great by attacking America at
home and abroad, Amos pointed out.

He recounted the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia
in which a truck detonated alongside a building that housed U.S. Air Force
personnel, killing 19 and wounding 498. He also recalled the 1998 attacks on
U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in which 220 people were killed and more
than 4,000 were wounded. Amos also spoke of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole,
berthed in Yemen, which resulted in the deaths of 17 American sailors and
injured 39others.

“On 9/11,” Amos said, “terrorists attacked America, in New
York, the fields of Shanksville, Pa., and the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000.
We remember each of these well. We will never forgive, nor will we ever
forget.”

In September 2012, he added, gunmen attacked the U.S.
consulate in Benghazi, Libya, killing four people, including U.S. Ambassador J.
Christopher Stevens.

“Not only are these world-changing events, but they are very
personal to all of us here today,” Amos said.

U.S. troops responded in countries such as Yemen, Somalia,
Mali, Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq, he said.

“Today, our Marines remain forward-deployed,” Amos said.
“Marine expeditionary units are stationed around the globe -- the 26th, the
13th and the 31st Marines continue to train security forces and deny terrorists
safe havens throughout all of Afghanistan.”

When Marines respond to crises, they remain strong, and
ready to respond and answer the nation’s call, Amos said. Since the fateful day
of the Beirut attacks, the Marines have stayed consistent in character and
courage, and those traits have “not wavered and never will,” he said.

“Across the globe, extremists have attempted to plot against
our freedom and our democracy. They have tested our resolve as a nation. Those
men who died 30 years ago would be proud to know that we have never relented,”
Amos told the audience members, who responded with cries of “Oorah!”

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Oct. 22, 2013 – Regardless of
what drove them to service, one benefit of having family in the military
is the rare opportunity that allows family members to serve with one
another.

“I think in January 2012, I was up for
orders to go to a new command, and my detailer said that I could
volunteer to come out here, and I figured it would be pretty cool to
come here at least once before we pull out,” Becerra said. “I just
wanted to get this under my belt, so I volunteered to come here.”

Murillo said he was able to switch from a deployment to a different Southwest Asia location to be here.

The two siblings met up here toward the end of Becerra’s tour and the
beginning of Murillo’s time, and they made the effort during their
overlap to catch up. Becerra works in medical logistics, and Murillo is
an aerial porter with the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing.

“Today is both of our days off, so we’re going to hang out,” Becerra said.

Murillo and Becerra agreed that sharing a deployment and being part of
the military is a unique experience that they both enjoy.

“It’s
definitely cool, and it’s a privilege, because when we’re older we can
look back and say, ‘Hey, we served together.’ It’ll be a nice story to
tell the kids someday,” Becerra said.

“Especially our younger
sisters,” Murillo added. “They look up to us, and now I have a couple of
buddies asking me questions because they want to join now, too.”

While they said they worry about each other’s safety at times, the
military siblings said, the company of family makes their deployments
more palatable.

“You’ve got to make it fun out here,” Murillo
said. “But, it’s weird, because with her here it almost feels like we’re
at home sometimes.”

Sunday, October 13, 2013

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2013 – After weekend meetings in Kabul,
Afghanistan, with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry said he and Karzai had resolved all but one of the major
issues critical to a bilateral security agreement between the two
countries.

And en route to London this morning, Kerry consulted several times
via phone with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel about the meetings,
according to senior State Department officials who spoke with reporters
in a background briefing.

Last night, Kerry and Karzai spoke
during a press conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, positive
about the progress they’d made.

“I believe that in the last 24
hours, as we have worked hard at these issues that really have been
negotiated over now for more than 11 months, that we have resolved … the
major issues that [President Karzai] went through,” Kerry said.

Kerry said he and Karzai “have put ourselves in a position for an
enduring [U.S.-Afghanistan] partnership going forward in the years
ahead.”

In his remarks, Karzai had described his main issues as
national sovereignty, prevention of civilian casualties, and a clear
definition of invasion by foreign forces.

But both leaders
acknowledged that, on the outstanding issue of claiming U.S.
jurisdiction for U.S. troops who are accused of committing crimes while
deployed in Afghanistan, the decision about whether to allow this
agreement in the bilateral agreement will be left to the Loya Jirga, or
council of Afghan elders, which Karzai has called to meet in November.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had
said in July after meeting with Karzai in Kabul that getting the
security agreement signed by October fit in with his best military
advice for putting in place the framework for the continuing U.S. and
NATO effort in the country after Dec. 31, 2014, when the current NATO
mandate expires.

Last night Kerry said his delegation was pleased
that the agreement reached could be submitted to a Loya Jirga, where it
will go through the appropriate political process, including the issue
of jurisdiction for U.S. troops who act outside the law while in
Afghanistan post-2014.

“The question of jurisdiction is an
appropriate one for the president to submit to the Loya Jirga, and we
have high confidence that the people of Afghanistan will see the
benefits that exist in this agreement,” the secretary said.

“But
we need to say that if the issue of jurisdiction cannot be resolved,
then unfortunately there cannot be a bilateral security agreement,”
Kerry added. “So we hope that that will be resolved. And it’s up to the
Afghan people, as it should be.”

The secretary explained that if
an American who is part of any expeditionary force under agreement from
the Afghan government were to violate any law, the United States would
prosecute to the full measure of that law and any perpetrator of any
incident or crime would be punished.

“There is no immunity,” he said, referring to what some call immunity for U.S. troops posted overseas.
“Let me make that clear: No immunity,” Kerry added. “And we have proven
in many cases, unfortunately too many instances, that when somebody has
violated the law, they have paid the price. There are people in prison
today in the United States of America who have paid that price.”

In terms of jurisdiction, Kerry said, where the United States has forces
serving in other parts of the world, including Japan, South Korea,
Europe, Africa and elsewhere, they operate under the same standard.

“We completely respect that the [Afghan] president should decide
appropriately that this issue ought to be decided in his Loya Jirga,”
Kerry said.

But, he added, “if [the jurisdiction issue] isn’t
resolved, we can’t send our forces in places because we don’t subject
United States citizens to that kind of uncertainty with respect to their
rights and lives.”

Thursday, October 10, 2013

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan, Oct. 10, 2013 – As he nestled his
cheek against the stock of his machine gun, Marine Corps Lance Cpl.
Kevin Dunseith hoped the man on the motorcycle would heed his warning.

A motorcyclist
made a sudden turn toward his vehicle and failed to halt its approach on
the convoy’s flank when Dunseith waved for him to stop. Now the two met
eye to eye as the man dismounted his bike and took a package off the
back.

“It’s a huge burden,” Dunseith said. “You have to make sure
you make the right choices and follow the rules of engagement. It’s a
big responsibility, but I like it.”

Dunseith was the rear gunner
and last line of defense for a large convoy in Afghanistan conducting a
recent four-day patrol between Camp Leatherneck and Camp Dwyer. The
dusty, jarring ride passed through empty landscapes pockmarked with
dried out riverbeds capable of trapping even the Marines’ large trucks.

“It gets tiring,” said Dunseith, a Marine reservist. “It’s
uncomfortable. You’re legs are tired. It’s really hot, and you get
tossed around easily. The dust kills you. You can’t really breathe.”
He wrapped his face in a scarf for protection from the worst dust
clouds and shielded his eyes with a pair of protective sun glasses. Like
a modern cowboy, Dunseith rode the bucking vehicle by flowing with the
motion.

The metal turret walls provided protection for the price of a few good bumps.

“You force yourself to do it,” he said. “You want to take a break as
much as possible, but you have to do what you have to do. It’s a very
important job. That keeps me going.”

Dunseith managed to halt the
motorist and convinced him to place the package on the ground. The
relief in his voice was palpable as the convoy finally pushed on with
the mission.

The space below Dunseith’s turret represented more
than a crew compartment, and his position as gunner meant more than a
job. His Mine-Resistant, Ambush Protected vehicle was his shelter and
home on convoys.

And the MRAP’s crew was his family.

“It’s
necessary to protect everybody,” he said. “It’s cool to be part of the
crew. We try to keep the same guys and the same truck. You get to know
everybody even better because you’re stuck in there for days at a time.”

Dunseith volunteered to deploy with other Marine reservists from New
York. The rigorous work schedule forged a bond amongst his teammates
over the past three months.

The work pace with CLR-2 resulted in a
mission nearly every week for the rear-guard trio. They passed the time
sharing stories about home and teasing each other.

“They’re loopy,” Dunseith said of his comrades. “I’m probably the wackiest one out of them.”
Dunseith joined the Marines after visiting a recruiter with some of his
friends back in New York. He felt the lifestyle seemed a good fit with
his personality.

“I grew up in a pretty quiet town,” said
Dunseith, who brashly referred to his deployment as a vacation. “I was
never inside. I was always outdoors getting lost in the woods. There was
just something I liked about it. It’s about going on an adventure. I
never liked sitting still.”

His love for adventure hasn’t made the deployment easy -- far from it.

It took a while for Dunseith to adapt to the climate in Afghanistan and
his role in the turret. A single shift behind the gun often lasts
longer than an average American’s work day. There are no breaks.

A bottle of water and a smooth patch of road are about as good as it gets until the convoy stops.

At night, the crew alternates guard duties while the others sleep inside the truck.

“It’s cramped, but you get so tired you eventually fall asleep,”
Dunseith said. “Even though it’s not the best sleep, all you need is a
little rest so your body can recover for the next day. It’s not bad.”

Dunseith said he prefers to be on missions. In spite of the stress and
exhaustion, it gives him a chance to see Afghanistan and makes the time
go faster.